Crime Scene

Rick Ross: 305 hypocrite?

The Smoking Gun just dropped a fat one on Rick Ross: Hard evidence that the Miami rapper used to be a Florida prison guard.

This bomb comes a few days after Ross denied such allegations, claiming photos that surfaced on the Internet of him in a guard uniform (left) were "fake pictures ... created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake."

But TSG got Ross' personnel records from the Department of Corrections (back when his name was still William Leonard Roberts). He graduated at age 19 from the DoC training academy and went to work in 1995 at the South Florida Reception Center in Doral for $22,913.54 a year. He quit about two years later.

Ross, now 32, likes to brag in lyrics and news articles about his days of slangin' weed, coke and heroin in Carol City.

Gotta wonder: Was that before or after he was a paid law enforcement officer, if it ever happened at all?

If I had $1 million ... I'd make bail

Any late-20-something, early-30-something that went to college in the Northeast/Great Lakes knows somebody who played the Barenaked Ladies' live CD at least twice a day.

My freshman year roommate at Syracuse University was that man.

By sheer osmosis, I became a fan too. That was in 1998.

Fast-forward 10 years, and my, how the mighty have fallen.

Steven Page, the lead-singer of the band, was busted on drug charges last Friday. And get this -- the arrest came in a Syracuse suburb. Talk about full circle.

He's been charged with possession of cocaine, a felony in the Empire State.

UPDATE: The complaint can be found here.

Dupre drops Girls Gone Wild suit

The bad week we told you Joe Francis was having? It just got a lot better.

The Girls Gone Wild founder has 10 million reasons to smile tonight after Ashley Alexandra Dupre dropped her $10 million lawsuit against him.

Dupre (left) sued Francis, claiming he ruined her reputation, after he dug up footage of her baring all for the GGW cameras during a 2003 Miami Beach spring break trip. In a statement from her Miami attorney, Dupre says she is trying to "eliminate all negativity" from her life and focus on the positive.

Dupre, you remember, was the high-priced callgirl at the center of the sex scandal that took down N.Y. Gov. Elliot Spitzer.

From his California office, Francis told me tonight he didn't pay Dupre or her attorneys a dime -- they simply decided to withdraw the suit.

"I never did understand how I could possibly damage the reputation of a hooker," Francis said. "She had her 15 minutes of fame, and she got an extra five because of me."

Here is a copy of Francis' official press release: Download dupre_apology_press_release.doc

God bless American ingenuity

First, we had the South Beach whorehouse-on-wheels.

Now, a clothing line designed by women members of the Texas polygamous sect raided by authorities in April.

You might remember I have a soft spot in my heart for this story. I actually lived in San Angelo for seven months back in 2001. Despite Texas' conservative reputation, West Texas is a live-and-let-live place.

And it's a place where land can be bought for a few hundred bucks an acre, not a square foot.

Anyway, back to the present.

After the state seized 400 kids amid abuse charges, these women mass-produced clothing for the children.

No arrests have been made in the case. Now, those seamstresses are trying to turn their skill into profit.

Check out their website.

My personal favorite: The Onesie Undershirt.

Joe Francis' bad week gets worse

We reported here yesterday about a new federal lawsuit filed in Panama City against Girls Gone Wild honcho Joe Francis (left).

Turns out, Francis' Tuesday isn't shaping up to be much better than his Monday was.

The Wynn Casino in Las Vegas filed a lawsuit, claiming the 35-year-old Francis owes $2 million in unpaid gambling debts dating to February 2007.

According to the lawsuit, the casino extended $2.5 million in credit to Francis on Feb. 16, 2007, and gave him another $300,000 two days later. Francis paid back $800,000 later that month, but the rest is still unpaid, the lawsuit alleges.

A spokesman for Mantra Entertainment, the company that runs GGW, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Francis has "fully lived up to" his repayment obligations. 

Phony fed cleans up 'meth capital'

It's the ultimate Hollywood story.

A vigilante swoops into a crooked town and cleans house.

Think Dirty Harry. Think Death Wish (I through V).

Think ... Sergeant Bill?

You may not have heard of him, but the good people of Gerald, Mo., a town of 1,171 an hour outside of St. Louis, surely have.

Today's New York Times has the story of Bill A. Jakob, who, claiming to be a federal agent, started busting into people's home in the dead of night, without a warrant, and hauling them out in cuffs.

By its mayor's own admission, Gerald has a pretty bad meth problem.

Sgt. Bill was its solution -- except he's no more an officer of the law than I am.

Now, the town has a mess on its hands. Cops have been fired. Arrests are in doubt.

And a batch of civil rights lawsuits are headed down the pike.

The question for you, Sarge, is do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Girls Gone to Court

Girls Gone Wild kingpin Joe Francis (left) may soon be back in Florida to wage another legal battle, this time against a class-action federal lawsuit freshly filed in Panama City.

The Miami Herald obtained an exclusive copy of the lawsuit: Download ggw_ii_class_action_complaint.DOC

The complaint alleges Francis and GGW filmed four underage girls - ages 13, 15, 16 and 17 - during shoots around Panama City Beach a few years ago. It says that GGW's use of cash and T-shirts to lure girls into exposing themselves is "in direct violation of Florida law prohibiting coercion into prostitution."

The suit claims there are likely "hundreds" of other girls in Florida and nationwide who may have also gone wild while underage. Attorneys for the plaintiffs are demanding a minimum of $150,000 for each woman. The case is being handled by Chicago law firm Duane Morris with an assist from a firm in Panama City.

A call to Francis' California office seeking comment has not yet been returned.

We ran a story last October that detailed Francis' legal woes (you can find it here). Some of those have since been resolved, while others, like his ongoing battle with Elliot Spitzer callgirl Ashley Dupre, are still quite active.      

Teacher, leave those kids alone

There are Cougars, then there are Cougars.

Little doubt Adrienne Laflamme, 60, falls into the latter group.

Laflamme, a science teacher in Brevard County, had a four-week relationship with a juvenile detention center student, according to a Orlando Sentinel report.

Police say they did the deed at least 15 times, including at least once with another minor -- a 14-year-old boy.

She's been charged with 15 counts of unlawful sex with minors and filing a false police report. Her bond is set at $225,000.

Busy day at the Supreme Court

The eight men and one woman in black robes are making news today, as they will issue opinions on some of the seven cases they have yet to decide.

Already released: Its 5-4 decision that executing child rapists constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

The hottest button pushed today will be the Court's ruling on the Washington, D.C. handgun battle.

For the latest, check out Yahoo! News' handy-dandy Supreme Court wire.

Pregnancy pact hoax?

You might remember that Time.com story from last week of Massachusetts teens swearing an oath to get knocked up, and then following through on said pact.

Well, the mayor of the Gloucester fought back against the besmirching of her town Monday.

The Boston Globe reports that there was "absolutely no evidence of" such a pact, and that the story's primary source -- the high school's principal -- had a "foggy" memory of who originally told him of such an agreement.

The mayor, Carolyn Kirk, has seen her sleepy port town turn into Ground Zero for the culture wars nearly overnight. The astounding story has raised questions about condoms in school and the Jamie Lynn Spearsification of teenage sex.

Oh yeah, and Oprah's people have called, too.